Maola Local Dairies, proudly owned by Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA), has purchased a dairy processing plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The plant, previously owned by HP Hood, will generate new opportunities to bring sustainable milk products into Pennsylvania. The announcement came during a press conference with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro highlighting investment in the state’s economy and workforce.
“With 80% of our family-owned farms existing in Pennsylvania, it just made sense that we would seek an opportunity to process our milk in the state as well,” MDVA CEO Jay Bryant said. “We are thrilled to add this Philadelphia-based plant to our portfolio as it provides us with new opportunities to diversify our products and reach more consumers with Maola Milk – the local, sustainable choice for milk on the east coast.”
Maola Philadelphia is an ultra-pasteurized plant focused on quality, customer service, and sustainability together with our customers, employees, and family-owned farms. The plant produces regular and flavored milks, creams of various fat levels, half & half, eggnog, and ice cream mixes. The plant, which has more than 170 employees, offers packaging in gable top pint, quart, and half gallon containers, portion control cups, and 2.5-gallon bags. The plant adds to the existing processing capacity of the cooperative in High Point, N.C., Landover, Md., Laurel, Md., Newport News, Va., and Strasburg, Va.
“We are dedicated to the existing team at Maola Philadelphia as we work to grow capacity at the plant while we produce high-quality dairy products with the customer service our valued customers expect and deserve.”
Kevin Satterwhite, a dairy farmer and President of MDVA’s Board of Directors welcomed the expansion of MDVA’s processing footprint.
“It’s an honor to lead a cooperative that seeks growth opportunities like this expansion into ultra-pasteurized processing,” said Satterwhite. “Our purchase of Maola Philadelphia is the crown jewel in our pivot away from a raw milk marketing cooperative to a brick-and-mortar dairy company with a respected growing brand.”
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Digital Media: Photos and video from the event can be found here. The entire press conference can be viewed on Governor Shapiro’s Facebook here.
About Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA) is a community of more than 900 dairy farm families in 10 states passionate about cultivating dairy goodness and bottling fresh Maola brand milk and dairy products. Our farmer-owned cooperative owns six dairy processing plants that process more than three billion pounds of milk annually. Our diverse portfolio of dairy products are then distributed to consumers in the United States and ingredients customers worldwide. Our cooperative is a leader in sustainability, partnering across the supply chain to deliver sustainable solutions to our member farms. For more information about MDVA, visit www.mdvamilk.com. For more information about Maola Milk, visit www.maolamilk.com.
About Ultra-Pasteurization
Typical HTST pasteurization occurs when milk has been heated to a minimum of either 161°F for at least 15 seconds or 145°F for 30 minutes. On the other hand, Ultra-Pasteurization occurs when milk is heated to a minimum of 280°F for at least 2 seconds under near-sterile conditions. It is then rapidly cooled back down to 39°F to maintain freshness. This temperature and time combination is much more lethal to dangerous bacteria, resulting in a longer shelf life and safer food product. Ultra-pasteurized products have a shelf-life of 60-90 days versus the typical 21-day life of HTST milk.
Dateline: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Contact: Amanda Culp, aculp@mdvamilk.com or 540-333-9873
